Method of making golf balls



June 4, 1940. L. A. YOUNG METHOD 0F MAKING GOLF BALLS Original Filed Feb. l, 1937 NET5/3; BY .c me '+65 all ATTORNEYS Patente-d June 4, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Divided and this application August 16, 1937, Serial No. 159,246

2 Claims.

This is a division of my application Serial No. 123,421, led February 1, 1937, entitled Golf balls.

The main objects of this invention are:

5 First, to provide an improvedmethod of forming golf balls which have long and accurate flight or carrying capacity.

Second, to provide an improved method of forming golf balls having a reinforced shell or l cover which is not only bound upon and rrnly united to the body of the ball but is in itself reinforced by having embedded therein a plurality of reinforcing strands.

Third, to provide an improved method of 15 forming a golf ball having a core wound with fibrous material and a shell surrounding the thus wound core, provision being made whereby the shell is firmly and integrally united to the wound core to enhance the playing qualities and pro- 20 long the life of the ball.

Fourth, to provide a novel and improved method of forming a ball having a body and cover integrally united.

Objects pertaining to details and economies 25 of my invention will appear from the description to follow. 'Ihe invention is defined in the claims.

Embodiments of my improved golf ball and certain steps in the method of making are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

30 Fig. 1 is an elevation of a golf ball in finished condition made in accordance with my method.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the core of the ball.

Fig. 3 is" an elevation illustrating one of the steps in the manufacture.

35 Fig. 4 is an elevation illustrating a successive step in the manufacture.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating structure and steps in manufacture.

40 Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section of my improved golf ball.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary view in vertical section illustratinga device and method which may be employed in molding the cover shell on my 45 ball and the action attendant on such molding.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary View in vertical section illustrating an alternate method whereby the product may be made.

In the accompanying drawing vno attempt has 50 been made to show the parts in their relative proportions and the parts are shown mainly in conventional form for convenience in illustration.

The core l is wound with rubber strands 2, the strands being wound under tension as is now 5 5 common practice in the art. The core and this vrubber winding constitute the main body of the ball.

The ball is wound with non-elastic threads or fibrous strands 3, cotton or linen threads being found suitablev for this purpose. The winding 5 with fibrous strands is not carried to a point where the body is completely enveloped by the fibrous material, but only to a point where the l body is uniformly surrounded on all sides by the strands whereby it is effectively reinforced. Ref- ,-10 erence to Figs. 4, 5, `and 6 discloses that the strands are substantially spaced to provide interstices Ll therebetween, and, more particularly, reference to Figs. 5 and 6 makes it clear that some of the strands are wound over or cross over 15 other of the fibrous strands and are substantially spaced above the rubber strands 2 by the intervening fibrous strands. The purpose of this arrangement of the fibrous strands will hereinafter be more particularly brought out. Although `the tension under which the fibrous strands are wound is sufficient to maintain the same. against temporary displacement, excessive tension need not be imparted to these threads because of the fact that the embedding operal tions to which they are subjected in a manner .to be hereinafter described effectively anchor the same in. their relative positions and prevent loosening and displacement of the same in play.

To this fibrous strand Wound body, I apply a cover `or shell S-Characterized by toughness, ductility and hardness and having a white pigment incorporated Atherein so that the shell is White throughoutxand so that it is unnecessary to coat or paint the outer surface or to apply a sheath as is quite common practice. This outer shell or skin covering is preferably a resinous composition. p

The composition is preferably a rubber resin or a resin derivative of rubber with a percentage of rubber, preferably White crepe rubber, reduced to a fluid form and a white pigment. The covering, however, is characterized by the resinous material thereof. The composition is not described indetailor claimed herein further than to point out that very satisfactory results may be had with a composition consisting of approximately four parts rubber resin or a resin derivative of rubber, and one part of the rubber, com-` bined with the pigment, preferably dioxide of titanium. This covering is applied in liquid form and a substantial part thereof penetrates into the fibrous winding.

It is an important feature of my invention thatr the shell composition or covering shall be applied under high pressure and accompanied by heat whereby the covering or composition will be forced into the interstices 4 to completely embed and surround at least a substantial part and preferably all of the fibrous strands 3 and hold them in embedded spaced relation. I have found that the individual embedding of the fibrous strands in the shell unites the covering to the wound body and the strands are made integral with the shell, greatly reinforcing the same. Likewise, the possibility of slippage between the fibrous winding 3 and the rubber winding 2 is removed.

The high pressure applied in the process of forming the covering or shell results in the forcing of the covering composition radially inwardly and the fibrous strands outwardly. When the molding operation is finished, there are substantially no fibrous threads touching the rubber threads or strands 2, but instead the fibrous thread has expanded and become a part of the homogeneous mass of the cover. In this way, the threads function to keep the cover in place and prevent the edge of a club from cutting through the composition in play. It is found that when the blade of the club encounters the fibrous winding embedded in the cover sufficient resistance is furnished to completely stop further cutting by the blade at a point about half way through the cover or where the fibrous strands are embedded therein.

Fig. 5 is a magnified view showing the position of the fibrous strands 3 relative to rubber strands 2 prior to application of the covering material, and Fig. 5 is a magnified view illustrating the relation o-f the shell to the fibrous winding. It will be seen that various individual strands of the winding are completely embedded in the shell material, whereby a highly effective reinforcing of the shell results as well as an effective locking of the shell on the wound body.

In covering the fibrous wound body any method may be employed whereby the covering material is capable of being forced between the fibrous strands with sufcient force to cause the material to penetrate the interstices and surround the fibrous strands, causing the same to be effectively embedded therein. I preferably em- -ploy the molding method and apparatus illustrated in the patent to Oldham 2,031,786, dated February 25, 1936, in which a pair of hollow mold sections 6 are utilized, each mold section carrying a hemispherical insert 1 provided with suitable markings or convolutions 8. The sections and inserts are provided with sprue holes 9 adapted to be brought in registry with nozzles I through which the covering material may be supplied under high pressure. The fibrous wound body is inserted in the mold and covering material injected at elevated temperature and under high pressure, whereupon the wound body automatically centers itself in the mold cavity and the fluid composition is forced against the same, penetrating the interstices and surrounding the fibrous strands 3 in the manner described above.

If desired, my method may be performed by utilizing preformed shells ll of covering composition, the shells being applied to the fib-rous wound body by means of sectional mold members l2 which are subjected to elevated temperature and brought together around the ball body under pressure to cause the composition to penetrate the fibrous winding and integrally unite the fibrous windings and shell.

'I'he covering of my improved golf ball is preferably of uniform whiteness throughout. It is not affected by sunlight or variations in temperature. The largely used balata compositions may be used with satisfactory results but without the advantages of the special composition. My improved golf balls are capable of withstanding very severe usage, the cover or shell does not easily cut, and it does not peel.

The embedded fabric cover of the present invention maintains the ball as it was originally made almost indefinitely. This is because the fibrous threads are prevented from contracting or expanding from their original relative positions. That is to say, the fibrous threads on one side are not movable even though the ball when hit is flattened out on the other side and the threads on the said other side, although they give inwardly with the cover under the impact of the blow, return outwardly with the cover to normal position. Hence, the woven fibrous portion of the cover being embedded therein keeps the ball in normal and original round form and holds the rubber thread underneath the cover in its original position.

The tendency of the rubber thread in a ball to slide is what makes golf balls soft enough when they are hit extremely hard or played con.- tinuously. However, the fibrous strands embedded in the cover of my ball serve to maintain equal compression at each pole of the ball and the parts of the ball in relative proportions, therubber and fibrous strands being greatly enlarged for convenience in illustration.

I have illustrated and described my improvements in embodiments which I have found very practical. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other embodiments or adaptations as it is believed this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my improvements as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A method of forming a ball comprising winding a core with rubber strands to form a body, directly winding on the rubber strands of said body non-elastic fibrous strands in substantially spaced relation to one another to provide space for cover material around and between said fibrous strands, and covering said body with material under heat and pressure sufficient to cause a substantial part of said fibrous strands to be completely and individually embedded in said material whereby the cover is locked to the body.

LEONARD A. YOUNG. 

